The Great Arc, recently named 5th in the Telegraph's "Top 10 Weirdest Rallies", is now open for Entries.

Entries close on 1st August 2010 and are limited to 15 places.

When

04 February - 03 March 2011 (28 days)

Deadline

Where

Cochin INDIA

Categories

Rally

Contact

What an event the Great Arc of India has become. One month across rural India from KanyaKumari to Mussoorie tracking the route of Everest & Lampton, and off course let’s not forget the guys in their classics in 2009.

The two highlights of the rally are the great diversity of Indian drives and the rather superb and glorious camp sites erected in wonderful locations across the countryside.

I love driving the astonishing variety of Indian roads that criss cross the great changing Indian landscape. For me the great drives of India are the tea plantations of the Cardamom Hills Munnar to Theckedy; outstanding drives up, across and through the Palani Hills. I think the greatest of all Indian drives is Elephant Valley to Palani; or how about the 41 hairpins bends of Ooty; the big open arid expansive road to Hampi; the savannah drives around Kaddan Dam; into Pashmair hills; Sagar to Ochha; rural Gwalior route; Dausa to Alwar including Sariska; and then one of my personal favourites’ - Kesroli’s loop (you can see the film of this on Roarr.tv).

And then the camping! Four great locations from coconut groves below the Palani Hills; on the river bank at Hampi; in the forests of Kaddam Dam; and high in the hills of Pashmari. This is George Everest and William Lampton crossing India as they would have camped during the Great Arc Survey of the 1820’s. Quite special, luxurious camping, the best travelling campsite in the world!

Then the charming hotels, chosen because they are characterful, small and can be quite bizarre. Most are known to me from my travels in India and now form part of the Great Arc route.